I have a spot in a room where there used to be track lighting. I'm going to be moving the electrical to the center of the room for a fan. Can I just used wing nuts and add to the existing wiring - will that be ok hidden behind the ceiling sheetrock? I need to add about 8 feet of wire to the center of the room from the current spot.
For safety, all connections must be enclosed in an electrical box. If you have attic access, it's pretty easy.
In addition to that, make sure the types of wiring are the same. You run into problems (often) when trying to connect old (knob tube) wiring to modern stuff like Romex. And as for safety, if you're not sure the current is off to that fixture, just shut off all the power (I'm in an old house, so our panel is like reading Egyptian hieroglyphics!). Also, get one of those voltage detector thingies that tells if there's a current present. don't take chances! They only cost about $18.00.
What JakeB said is right. Or find where the wires are coming from that went to the track light. Use the old wire to pull new longer wires in its place reconnect the new wire ,remove the short old wires and then wire up the fan.
